Lady Tano
by Azure Lightning Emerald Cloud
Summary: Prequel of sorts to my first story, Shadow and Falcon, detailing the life of Ahsoka Tano after her excommunication and subsequent exit from the Jedi Order.
1. Cuppa Bantha Blood

Author's Note: Salutations! This is a prequel to my other story Shadow and Falcon, but it's not necessary to read that one first. I hope you enjoy this. As always, please Review, I love getting input, whether or not it's positive.

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Lady Tano

Part I: A Cuppa of Bantha Blood

 _"Barriss, is that true?"_

 _"Tell them the truth"_

 _"I did it. Because I've come to realise. What many people in the Republic have come to realise. That the Jedi are the ones responsible for this war. That we have so lost our way that we've become Villains in this conflict. That We are the ones who should be put on trial, All of us! And my attack on the Temple was an attack on what the Jedi have Become. An army fighting for the Dark Side. Fallen from the light that we once held so dear. This Republic is failing! It's only a matter of time."_

 _As General Skywalker grabbed her elbow to spin her away from her listeners, Barriss Offee took one last mourning look at Ahsoka. Barriss' eyes were the most vulnerable Ahsoka had ever seen, Barriss wasn't worried for herself, she was horrified at the fate that would befall her last friend. But the moment was broken when Skywalker roughly shoved Barriss towards the Jedi Temple Sentinels, and she was led out of the chamber._

Upon the third viewing, Ahsoka Tano's cool exterior began to break. On the fifth, there were tears speckling her cheeks. Her morning remembrance was now complete. The former Jedi slipped on her armour and pistols. Her armour was mostly made up of miscellaneous clone leather parts, except her gauntlets. The gauntlets were Commander Cody's own, which he had bequeathed to her upon her exodus from the Jedi order. Her pistols were a gift she received much more recently, from her closest non-Jedi friend in the army, Captain Rex; they were his own pistols that had seen uncountable battles. Perhaps most important to Ahsoka, was Five's fauld and tasset, which protected her hips down to her knees. It was his ARC Trooper armour that Captain Rex and Commander Fox had decided to not retire upon Five's horrifically confusing death.

The teenage Tagruda stowed the playback device in her bag, which she slung over her back. She helped herself to portable porridge, which, let's be honest, she's had worse; and then she was out the door, stepping into the dim light of Coruscant's underbelly as her com link crackles to life.

"Little Tano, I've got a hit on that mark you were looking for, but he won't be here for long." Ahsoka smiled at the friendly voice, despite it's gruffness.

"Thank you Dex, I'll be there soon." Ahsoka smiled grimly as she mounted her air speeder began her ascent to the surface.

Upon leaving the Jedi, Obi-Wan had set her up with a reliable contact of his, Dexter Jetster, for as long as she needed tips and advice from a non-Jedi while she was on Coruscant. Anakin had arranged for her speeder, and he spared no expense. Padme probably had something to do with it too. _Those two make a cute couple, I can't imagine how Anakin's stayed with the Order so long, repressing the happy life he could have with her if only he could cut his loyalty to people who wouldn't have his back if they knew the best part of his life._ Ahsoka mused as she deftly piloted the speeder to the surface, and the sun once more struck her face as it rose above the horizon.

Traffic was light on Ahsoka's route, which is to say it took her much longer than she would have liked to arrive at Dexter's Diner. Coruscant air-traffic was killer. The diner gleamed bronze in the light of the rising sun, a beacon among the assault of apathetic grey buildings rising all around it. Ahsoka parked her speeder in the place Dexter reserved for her and other friends of Obi-Wan.

When she entered the diner, Hermione Bagwa greeted her with her usual, which Ahsoka dubbed 'Bantha Blood'. Ahsoka finished the first glass in less than a minute and waited patiently for it to be refilled. Ahsoka surveyed the room around her, taking in all the usual characters, and some of the more seldom seen characters. But her eyes narrowed, as she did not find her mark. Dexter Jester, the fine owner of this legendary establishment walked over with a second helping of 'Bantha Blood' and placed it in front of the young ex-Jedi.

"He got taken by another hunter with lightsabers, little-'Soka'," the large four-armed cook said jovially. "You look like you needed another one of these," he placed the glass of viscous red liquid in front of the frustrated Tagruda. "Sorry," he said sincerely as Ahsoka just sipped her drink in silence.

 _Damn it Ventress. I suppose your death at the side of Master Vos at the hands of Dooku was slightly exaggerated._ "It's alright Dex, did you happen to catch her on hologram or see what this hunter looked like?" Ahsoka asked pleasantly, her frustration dissipating by the second.

Dex nodded as he replied, "The bounty hunter was tall and assured, it sounded female, but she was behind a mask. She had a single curved hilt lightsaber, but she used the force to pull the mark into her grasp instead of igniting her blades. She did not speak." Ahsoka nodded as she took in the information and matched it up against her last meeting with Asajj Ventress. _Of course she'd have a new blade now since my Master confiscated her red lightsabers from Barriss…_ Ahsoka zoned out a little as her thoughts unbidden turned back towards her old friend and greatest hurt.

She roused herself out of her downward memory spiral before Dex noticed anything truly amiss other than the usual frustration of her sub-par bounty hunting luck. The rules of bounty hunting isn't what made Ahsoka sub-par, it was the fact that her heart wasn't in it. She frequently ended up losing her marks to the more driven hunters that flooded Coruscant since the start of the war. Also, her luck was laughable, as Hermione and Dex often reminded her; but not today though, it was the one year anniversary of her ah, _exit_ from the Jedi Order and the incarceration of Barriss Offee. She had heard of her old Master's exploits among the stars that she couldn't see in the smog of Coruscant's skies.

Dexter suddenly turned away as his communicator beeped. Hermione had taken advantage of the lull in customers to drape a friendly arm around Ahsoka, wordlessly understanding her low mood. Ahsoka's hand drifted absently to where her Padawan beads once rested against her white and blue stripped Lekku which now fell to her mid upper arms. She was taller than a year ago too, when she had first walked into Dex's Diner, she barely stood up to his elbow, and now she was passing his shoulder. _Tagruda growth spurts hurt,_ she thought off-handedly as she was rubbing her left shin with her booted right foot. "Thanks Hermione," Ahsoka said gratefully as the waitress smiled and moved off to accommodate a few new customers.

Ahsoka shivered involuntarily as Dex straightened and turned around, his jovial look not gone, but tinged with curiosity. He whispered, "Ahsoka, there's a certain Mandalorian who would like to see you about a coup." He handed her the communicator which he had momentarily deactivated for the privacy of the caller. He beckoned her behind the counter and into a room off of the kitchen that had a single drink holder and a locking door, a stall for situations exactly like now. Hermione swiftly added Ahsoka's re-filled Bantha Blood to the drink holder before offering thumbs up and softly closed the door. Ahsoka activated the hologram once she was certain she was alone.

The holographic form of a Mandalorian in full regalia filled the stall, and Ahsoka recognized her helmet instantly. "Bo-Katan, I'm so sorry about your sister the Duchess." Ahsoka opened softly. She bore the Nite Owl no love, but Ahsoka wasn't tactless. For her part Bo-Katan tilted her head in acknowledgment.

"Thank you, Lady Tano, I'm calling because I, and Mandalore, need your help. Darth Maul is back, and he's too much for us to handle indefinitely, and you're the only Force-user who we are on speaking terms with other than General Kenobi, who hasn't gotten back to us yet with his answer. Right now, you're our only hope."


	2. Pain From An Old Wound

Author's Note: I know this is starting rather slow, but I'd still appreciate a note to see what you think of this piece, even in its early days. Thank you!

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Part II: Pain From an Old Wound

Ahsoka considered the Death Watch commander's plea before responding, "I'm your only hope? How did you get my contact information, the last time we saw each other I wanted to decapitate you. And _you_ were sacking a village." Ahsoka's temper had not exactly been tamed in her time away from the Jedi.

Bo-Katan Kryze slowly nodded her head, she waited a moment before ultimately deciding to give Ahsoka the hook, "You are not being overheard I hope?"

Ahsoka rolled her eyes at the question. "I'm not an amateur."

Bo-Katan nodded again before changing everything, "I'm also the only reason General Obi-Wan Kenobi left Mandalore alive following the death of my sister, the mother of his child."

 _What._

 _No, that wasn't possible, how could–no. He was a Jedi! Like, the_ most _Jedi of the Jedi other than Luminara, Barriss before her fall, and Yoda._

Ahsoka's response was perfectly predictable, "No, that's impossible. Not true. He is a Jedi, they are forbidden from having attachments of any kind, never mind fathering children." _Although, Anakin is also a Jedi, and he's been with Padme for years now. But he's always been…different, not like Obi-Wan or the others._

Bo-Katan brought both her hands up and removed her helmet, slowly. Ahsoka gasped, the Mandalorian commando was beautiful, though in a haunting kind of way; her irises were yellow, not unlike Sith degradation, though a few shades lighter. Her button nose was slightly pink, contrasting her pale complexion. Bo-Katan's scarlet hair was slickly tied back, so it didn't interfere with her sight.

Bo-Katan smirked at Ahsoka's reaction, but it didn't reach her eyes. "I think I would remember when my sister came home from a year on the run with her belly large with her child. She was exclusively in the company of Obi-Wan Kenobi, a how do you Jedi say? He was a _Padawan_ at the time. He was no older than you actually." She didn't wait for Ahsoka's look of shock before continuing, "This is in the past. Right now, I am asking for the aide of somebody who can stand toe to toe with this monster who killed my sister and my commander. Darth Maul must fall, and I need your help."

 _She's not lying to me. Obi-Wan has a son!_ This was immediately followed by _he doesn't know. He can't, he would've left the order if he did._ "I will help you." _After all, how can I let a chance to do some legitimate peacekeeping go to waste? Barriss would never forgive me if I did. And neither would I._ "But in return for my help, Death Watch cannot assume control. If you rule, it will be by consent of the governed of Mandalore, and no more massacres. Promise me." Ahsoka's tone broke no argument, and Bo-Katan didn't offer any.

"Thank you Jedi." Bo-Katan offered, noticeably less tense.

"Bo-Katan," Ahsoka began seriously, "Never call me a Jedi again." she finished, taking the Mandalorian aback with her vehemence with which Ahsoka pronounced _Jedi_.

"Duly noted, _Lady_ Tano," Bo-Katan said with a slight lilt to her voice, highlighting her new nickname. Ahsoka rolled her eyes.

"I'm no Lady. Aren't you though, being the sister of Mandalore's rightful Duchess?" Ahsoka shot back.

"I kill people, Lady Tano, my sister would have broken her code of non-violence to deny a monster like me the title of nobility," Bo-Katan replied with forced casualty.

"Ok, so where would you like to meet to discuss this _coup_ in greater detail" Ahsoka asked kindly enough. Her implication was clear, she was already sold, and judging by the tilt of Bo-Katan's eyebrows, she knew it too.

"Concord Dawn." Bo-Katan replied immediately. "Our base is on the moon. It's the only fortress of ours that we've been able to keep from Darth Maul's reach successfully. We've also accumulated non-Death Watch allies; you'll be pleased to know. If there's anything Mandalorians understand, it's that the greater enemy unites internal squabbles." The Mandalorian finished proudly, though Ahsoka couldn't help but feel the moral sacrifice of working with war criminals was going to take its inevitable toll on her, and all those who rallied to Bo-Katan's aide.

"Very well, Concord Dawn it is." Ahsoka agreed despite her minor misgivings.

 _Galactic Republic Prison: Rogue Division_

Commander Fox was having a normal day, as well as could be expected with his requested post: guarding the traitor Barriss Offee. After she was quickly convicted of all of Ahsoka Tano's supposed crimes, the Miralian ex-Jedi was disavowed as a Jedi Knight of the Grand Republic, disavowed as a General in the Army of the Grand Republic, and thrown to rot in solitary confinement for the rest of her life.

Fox did not enjoy his post here, every time he walked the halls. The clone commander saw the ghosts of his friends: Jumper, Tarry, and Fel. It was his duty, his men died because he wasn't there to defend them, or at the very least die by their side, standing against the impossible odds of the Rogue Jedi.

There was another reason he chose to serve in near solitude; ARC Trooper Five's last words still replayed in his head every day. _I only wanted to do my duty._ Though he knew that he wasn't the only one haunted by what he had come to see after almost a year of reflection as a reactionary act of violence.

The Prisoner was allowed to watch the hologram of her trial, the only piece of media that Admiral Tarkin had seen fit to allow. It was actually part of a larger piece of legislation he helped through the senate that only happened to apply to the Prisoner under his watch; prisoners in the Republic should be allowed to see the moments their lives were sealed within the walls they now lived, their trials.

He watched her every day, and every day without fail, she watched the court proceedings of Ahsoka Tano. The Prisoner was allowed to see Ahsoka Tano's trial because Fox asked for it. He reasoned with Admiral Tarkin that the crimes for which the former Commander Tano was prosecuted were really Barriss' all along, and she was sentenced that week, the jury didn't need to hear anymore, they were eager to convict the rogue Jedi.

But today was different. The sun was rising, and it was the first year anniversary of the trial. And the monitors showed that Prisoner didn't play the full holo-recording; just the end of it, on loop, from when she herself was brought into the courtroom by General Skywalker. The Prisoner had grown out her silky hair, which now extended to the small of her back, no longer held together in the hair tie she used upon entry. Her hair also fell lightly around her eyes, slightly obscuring them, but in the absence of her mournful sapphire orbs, Fox could tell they were shut at the moment. She sat ramrod straight in contemplation, meditation. Fox strained to see her as the image on his monitor frizzled a little, but what he saw brought a sickly small grin of grim satisfaction to his face; which he hid from the world by his omnipresent red tinted helmet.

Commander Fox's Prisoner, Barriss Offee, was indeed weeping.


	3. A Day in the Life

Part III: A Day in the Life

" _Barriss, Is that true?"_

Barriss Offee awoke at sunrise after one of her nightmares. They were almost always different, but similarly themed. She looked around her cell, and confirmed her nightmare had not compromised her senses like last time…it had not. She was fine. She rose and started pacing as her thoughts began to move at a normal speed.

It wasn't exactly a small cell, since she confessed, and offered no resistance from that point forward, at the six month mark, she was upgraded to a humane cell which provided her with enough room so that when she paced, she didn't have to practically walk in circles. Taking seven steps before turning around each pass was quite the luxury compared to her earlier accommodations. Rogue Division's confines was certainly an upgrade.

 _At least I'm not hallucinating Ahsoka again, I'm just hearing her in my dreams. Master Luminara too. I wonder if they've knighted her yet, she certainly deserves it by now. There's no way the Jedi weren't begging for her back after excommunicating her. She's the best padawan in the whole order, anything less than a knighthood, after a year since her trial would be an insult. Despite the war, they're not_ that _out of touch. Well, maybe Mace Windu, but Masters Obi-Wan and Plo Koon are not. And she's not dead…I'd know, I'd_ feel it _. And even if I didn't, Fox would rub it in my face. I wonder why he was assigned here, I wished he wasn't, at least Commander Castor wasn't unkind to me._

After a few hours of simply pacing in her cell, the Miralian prisoner sat down in the geometric centre of the cell. After a while, her silky, jet-black hair began to move. It wasn't in any kind of directed fashion, but her raven locks floated around her head, the Force having cut them free from the shackles of gravity. All the while, and to from her first meditation session in prison, the movement of her hair during the deeper stages of her meditation was unknown to her.

She remained there for the remainder of the daylight hours, not moving an inch, meditating; delving deep within her own imagination, and reaching out for…anyone. And so began her usual parade of tears down her intricately tattooed cheek.

The day turned to night, and the daily meal was brought, slid under her door by a clone trooper. Barriss was still in meditation, though the clanking of the food-door had dispelled her mood, and Force-user she may be, but even Barriss gets hungry at least once a day. _After all, Master Luminara always said, 'Serving as a Jedi, you'll quickly stop taking the Temple's scheduled meals for granted, don't make that face, you do take it for granted, and you will until you have been without food for a week and are drawing on your last vestiges of strength to survive. So, When food comes, we eat. Even if we think we know when the next meal will be served, there is never a guarantee.'_ And so Barriss opened the steaming container and helped herself to some soup and noodles. Keeping the small sticks she ate them with would earn a blast from the guard's stun gun. Barriss almost cringed from the memory… _I just wanted something to hold up my hair._

For as rich as Coruscant was, the prisoners still ate food made at the cheapest cost, and this soup with noodles was an accommodation only afforded her at her former master's urging. Barriss oddly enjoyed the monotony of her food, it didn't taste horrid, and it was sustaining if nothing else. It was food, complaining about it would be poor form.

Once she had finished, she laid the empty container on the tray it had entered her cell from the food door. She then went to sit against the wall that was furthest from the door. With a slight hiss, the food door opened and the food disappeared down a chute that was built into the floor of the cell. Barriss almost grinned at the ritual, it was the closest thing she ever got to entertainment unless she chose to provoke the guards when the monotony of it all got too bad for even her. _That hasn't happened since Fox took over, I don't think he'd spare my life if I misbehaved. I killed his men, and he was ruthless in his pursuit of Ahsoka. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that he would probably end me if I gave him the slightest excuse._

Barriss went back to the centre of the room once the food was gone. But when she resumed her meditation, something didn't feel right.

The Force was, churning, for lack of a better word. Barriss' eyes scrunched up as she recoiled from a presence too slow, as it had already surrounded her.

 ** _It's all your fault Barriss._** Barriss saw flashes of blue surrounding vertical shafts of light, like lightning in the dark. She _felt_ , more than heard the screams of her former compatriots in the Jedi Order. She briefly saw the turquoise eyes of a young brown-haired padawan as he fled the oncoming cloud of death. A young Twi'lek with green skin look with sadness into the sky as republic ships devoid of the usual red paint descended from the skies. _What am I seeing?_ But her question wasn't answered as she then saw a young brown-haired girl looking a Mandalorian helmet in the face in determination as she reached for a paint canister marked pink. Her vision concluded with a far less ambiguous message, **_How could you? I cared for you, was ready to die with you, twice! Traitor!_**

Barriss's eyes snapped open as she rejected that all too familiar feeling. The same feeling she had when she struck down those clones, and silenced the backstabbing Letta Turmond. She knew a little better now. _That_ feeling was to be tamed, not utterly quelled, but kept in check lest it ruin her again. It had escaped her notice that her breathing had abandoned its serene composure; she recognized that voice, as well as the hollow, cold feeling that just passed over her. She took a shaky breath before going over to her bed, perhaps the promise of sleep could keep her conscience at bay, if only for a little while.


	4. Soldiers' Counsel

Part IV: Soldiers' Counsel

 _Aboard the Venator-Class Galactic Republic Star Destroyer_ _ **Resolute**_

"General Skywalker, there is a message for you from the _Negotiator_." Captain Rex said as he walked onto the bridge. General Skywalker was standing with his hands clasped behind his back, looking out the view port at the stars. Rex couldn't help notice that his commander's stance was peculiarly reminiscent of how Commander Tano used to carry herself. It was a stance Skywalker had only recently adopted, his arms no longer swayed at his sides as he walked when calm. They were clasped lightly behind his back. "General," Captain Rex broke off when General Skywalker's hands unclasped.

He turned around, trademark grin on his lips, though a bit more drawn nowadays. He followed Rex to the War Room, where the "Put Obi-Wan through," he said calmly.

Admiral Wullf Yularen had joined them, giving and receiving a respectful silent nod to and from Captain Rex and General Skywalker as the full-body hologram of General Obi-Wan materialized before them. "I got an interesting communication from Dexter Jetster on Coruscant. He received a communiqué from the Mandalore." Obi-Wan stopped for a moment. Anakin grimaced, as he couldn't imagine the pain Obi-Wan felt at losing the only woman he ever really loved. Obi-Wan, ever the Jedi, supressed his grief and continued, "It was a communiqué sent for and received by…Ahsoka Tano."

The air immediately grew frigid. Captain Rex actually flinched as he looked at his General's hardened expression. The expression was only there for a short time, but the room's temperature certainly remained lower than it had been before. "Ahsoka?" Anakin asked to no one in particular. On the hologram, Commander Cody briefly stepped into frame to hand Obi-Wan a telegram, and was gone. Anakin Skywalker recovered quickly, "Who on Mandalore knows Ahsoka? Lux Bonteri remained on Onderon."

Captain Rex was quite grateful his General hadn't mentioned the Duchess, Commander Cody had informed him after the fact how destroyed Obi-Wan was upon his return from Mandalore. General Yoda actually took him aside to grant him a week of meditation to come to terms with his loss. He wasn't allowed however, to attend the Duchess' funeral.

"So Ahsoka went to Mandalore?" General Skywalker asked General Kenobi.

"I don't know, she took the call in private. Dex doesn't monitor those calls, not even upon the council's request. Said it violated his customer's rights." Obi-Wan folded his arms, but Captain Rex and Anakin both recognized him well enough to pinpoint pride in his voice. Irked though he was that Dex defied the council, he defied the _council_ , and that landed him on a very small list of courageous beings across the galaxy. Admiral Tarkin was also on that list, and despite Captain Rex's personal qualms about the man, sticking to his guns against the Jedi was nothing if not a bold move; even if it was a decision done to convict an innocent friend.

Obi-Wan took a moment to look around before judging that the two men in the _Resolute_ 's Room were trustworthy, before glancing off at Cody standing several metres to his side, helmet off, observing the holo-call. "I haven't told the Jedi council about this business yet." He had anticipated the reactions to this sentence well. Yularen failed to stifle a gasp, Captain Rex stood a little straighter, shocked face hidden behind his immaculately cleaned helmet, and Anakin's eyebrows almost disappeared in his hair. Anakin however was the quickest to recover.

"And just when I thought you were done surprising me, master, you do something _I_ would do." There was no mistaking the gratitude in the young general's voice. There was really no telling what the council would do where Ahsoka was involved. Especially after it came to light that after her excommunication, offer of being Knighted, and subsequent departure from the Jedi, she had for a time worked alongside Asajj Ventress as a bounty hunter, at least before the Dathomirian was murdered by Count Dooku. Ventress' body had been returned to Dathomir to rest with her fallen Nightsisters. Master Quinlan Vos had insisted, and General Kenobi backed up the notion when the Jedi council were hesitant to treat a fallen enemy with such consideration.

"I think we should send Rex or Cody and a small squad–" Anakin began before Admiral Yularen cut him off.

"The Mandalore System is neutral. Republic forces there would not only be received quite poorly by the locals, but it would instigate a ground war there with the Separatists." The Admiral finished with a lower tone; after all, he greatly respected Commander Tano and wished to know of her safety.

Obi-Wan and Anakin both conceded the point in the way their expressions dropped. Cody however, stepped up toward Obi-Wan so that he'd become visible to the others and said, "Senator Amidala has shown in the past her willingness to bend the rules of neutrality if it means serving the greater good. Perhaps one of her contacts on Mandalore could tell us something about why the presence of a non-Jedi Force user would be requested."

Captain Rex's mind was following a similar angle, so he followed Cody's proposal up with, "We cannot spring into action right now. I agree with Commander Cody, that perhaps the senator could use her contacts to give us the vital intelligence we need to ascertain whether or not our presence is needed there at all. I miss the Commander. We all do, to varying degrees," he added as he saw the pain in Anakin's eyes. "And while we all care about Ahsoka, we need to think tactically about this as well. Our intervention could put her in harm's way."

Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Admiral Yularen all looked a little more flabbergasted than any of them would care to admit at this deft and somewhat tactful handling of the situation. At last, Obi-Wan spoke up, "I think that's a favourable idea if the senator is willing."

He nodded toward Anakin who responded with "I'll get on that immediately upon my return to Coruscant. And Obi-Wan, thank you for not getting Windu involved, he always had it out for Ahsoka."

Obi-Wan returned Anakin's gaze with and nod accompanied by sad eyes and said, "I know."

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Author's Note: Please review or follow if you like this story, I hope you are enjoying it!


	5. More Than a Feeling

Part V: Hooked On A Feeling

Bo-Katan paced as she waited for her lieutenant to inform her of Tano's arrival. She received confirmation of the ex-Jedi's exit from Coruscant, so now it was a waiting game, at least on that front. The silent footfalls of her lieutenant shook her out of her staring contest with the distant light in the night sky that was the planet Mandalore. "Has she arrived?" Bo-Katan asked without turning to face her lieutenant.

"No. Not yet. She's due anytime now. There is however, a related matter that you should know about." The Lieutenant said as she calmly crossed the room.

Bo-Katan inclined her head, offering her lieutenant to continue. "There has been a communiqué from a Senator Amidala. She was a friend of your sister's, and is close with the Jedi," the Lieutenant prefaced.

"I know that," Bo-Katan said calmly. "Who was the message meant for?"

The Lieutenant hesitated for a moment before saying, "Me. We met briefly during her visit here when I was serving your sister. Lady Bonteri introduced made introductions for us." Bo-Katan surveyed her Lieutenant with something in her eyes resembling pride. "The good Senator was inquiring about the political situation here since comms went dark. She didn't outright say it, but I think she knows about our inroads with Tano."

Bo-Katan's eyes narrowed a bit, but not out of malice. "I assume an intervention from the Jedi in an official capacity is too good to hope for?"

The Lieutenant shrugged, "As of now, yes. But at least we've got the most decorated Commander the Republic Army has to offer."

Bo-Katan nodded, walked over to the table and poured two cups of drink. "How is your daughter doing?" Bo-Katan's change in conversation wasn't unwelcome; she was pleased to see as her Lieutenant's uninhibited smile come out.

She didn't respond verbally immediately, but she fiddled with the holo-projector on her wrist, which then came to life. The projector showed a toddler with black hair and amber eyes walking around, with unusual grace for a toddler, what appeared to be the dining room of her home. Bo-Katan was impressed, as the small girl's wanderings seemed guided as the little girl collected a few items from around the room before approaching a wall. The giggling girl then used the items in her hand, her meal, to paint the wall, making a right mess.

Bo-Katan could see the immense joy and pride in her Lieutenant's eyes, how she completely disregarded the mess her daughter just made for her. "She's beautiful Ursa. You should be proud," Bo-Katan acknowledged with a small smile. The adorable little Sabine was an infectious joy.

Bariss awoke with a smile. She wasn't exactly sure why. She discovered that tears speckled her face, as she reached up to rub the sleep from her dark blue eyes. Her pupils were dilated; hungry for the light they couldn't see. In the distance, she could sense rather than hear muffled voices. Clones. Barriss Offee had done a lot of thinking in her year of captivity. She was surprised that she wasn't summarily executed. She didn't think it was fair really, the Chancellor and his dogs had planned to kill Ahsoka for her crimes. So what changed?

Barriss would be lying if she didn't experience a more than thrill of rage, horror and sadness whenever she imagined that bloody playing out, Ahsoka's beautiful red skin pierce, melted, and burned by blaster fire from unfeeling clones. Ahsoka…what did she mean to Barriss, even now? Barriss wasn't sure.

She didn't have a name to put to the inescapable feeling that in turns hollowed the Miralian out, and tethered her together. But Barriss was sure that whatever that _primal_ feeling's name would be excised and done away with if it were up to the Jedi. It would be simply called _attachment_ ; and therefore not worth investing any time in other than to expunge it, for _there is no emotion._

Whatever the reason for her continued existence, she wasn't privy to it. Blast, sometimes she resented it. To just end, would be a blessing considering the remainder of her life would be spent watching over and over and over and over; the moment she made Ahsoka's face look like _that._ An expression of horror and sorrow. A heart, a friendship, and so much more that Barriss couldn't put into words, shattering. She didn't know what it was called, but she knew the feeling of it being ripped right out of her. Barriss' tears stopped as the holo-projector shut off, her daily torture complete. Now there was just the mechanical efficiency of Commander Fox approaching her to deliver her meal for the day.


End file.
